Selecting and shifting mechanism for transmissions



Aug. 1%, 1936 T. B. TYLER 2,651,133

I SELECTING AND SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS Filed June 2, 1932.4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 18, W36. T. s. TYLER 2,951,113

SELECTING AND SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS Filed June 2, 1932 4Sheets-Sheet 2 y 21. 6 W J ATTORNEY T. a. TYLER 2,053,313

SELECTING AND SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS Aug. 1, 1936.

Filed June 2, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Ema [n Aug. 1%, W36. TTYLER ZflELHS SELECTING AND SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TRANSMISSIONS FiledJune 2, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Wis Biff a" ATTORNEYS HillPatented Aug. 18, 1936 STATE SELECTING AND t FOR 9:.

Tracy Brooks Tyler,

The Monopower Corporation, corporation of Michigan Detroit, Mich, a

Application June 2, 1932, Serial No. 614,945

18 Claims.

'Ifhis invention relates to selection and shifting mechanisms and moreparticularly to such mechanisms, used in connection with thetransmissions of motor vehicles.

The principal aim of the invention is to provide automatic selecting andnon-automatic shiftingmeans for automobile transmissions, the selectionbeing automatic or controllable by the speed of the vehicle, the act ofshifting preseiected parts being non-automatic or personallycontrollable. p The invention further aims to provide means inassociation with automatic selecting and nonautomatic shifting mechanismfor transmissionswhereby the mechanism may be readily disconnected fromother operating parts so as to permit the elements being selected,non-automatically, as well as shifted, non-automatically, thedisconnecting means being readily operable by and easily accessible tothe operator so that he can easily and quickly change over fromautomatic selection to non-automatic selection, and vice versa.

A characteristic of the shifting mechanism forming part of the inventionlies in its being capable of association with engine control meansand/or clutch control means.

Still further aims of the invention will become readily apparent fromthe following detailed description of the mechanism and from theappended drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows parts of a selecting andshifting mechanism, in elevation;

Fig. 2 shows certain of these parts in plan;

" Fig. 3 shows one form of propeller shaft controlled means forming partof the automatic selecting mechanism, and is a section on line 8-33 ofFigure l;

Fig. 4 shows part of the means for disconnecting the mechanism fromother operating parts and in a section on line 6-5 of Figure 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 show a second form of propeller shaft controlled meansforming part of the selecting mechanism, and are sections on line 5-5and 6-8 of Figures 6 and 5 respectively;

' Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of a transmission;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on Fig. 7; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of details.

It is at present contemplated that an automobile equipped with theselecting and shifting mechanism of this application will have an engineshaft connected to a drive shaft by a clutch, the drive shaft beingconnected to a propeller shaft by a torque change transmission.

the line 3-8 of The transmission parts may be selected and shifted,non-automatically by a shifting rail, indicated at l2 and actuated inconventional fashion by a shifting rod I3, actuated in turn by ashifting lever not shown. The shifting rod, 5 which is outside thetransmission casing it, is connected to the shifting rail, inside thecasing, by a gear sector I5 having teeth meshing with the rack teeth iton the shifting rail. The gear sector inside the casing is mounted on astub 10 shaft i'l projecting therefrom, to which stub shaft is alsofixed a. rocker arm I8, the latter being outside the casing and havingelongated rollers is at its ends. The rocker arm It further has aportion 20 projecting upwardly from its hub, and this portion isconnected to the shifting rocl It, at the connection 2!. It will be seenthat the shifting rail it may be moved by rod it through the rocker arm58, stub shaft ii and gear sector it.

It will also be seen, from that which follows, that the shifting rail itmay be moved for se-= lection and shifting by means which engages therocker arm to at its ends it and thus moves the stub shaft ii and thegear sector it.

Referring more particularly 'to Figs. 7 and ii there will be seen atransmission upon which. the present selecting and shifting mechanism isadapted to be assembled. The particular construction of thistransmission forms no part of the invention and is merely shown as anexample of a transmission in order that the manner of control andoperation of the invention may be understood. It will be seen that thetransmis-- sion in these figures includes a suitably journaled mainshaft iii adapted to be connected to the engine of a vehicle through aconventional master clutch, not shown. The torque transmitting elementsto be described in detail below are adapted to create a drivingconnection between the main shaft it and a suitably journaled secondshaft or propeller shaft 32. The propeller shaft has an axial bore M inthe end thereof in which is journaled the end of the main shaft iii. Acounter shaft it is journaled in the transmission casing to at it, andis also journaled at it in a partition is formed integral with thecasing, and in effect corresponds to the counter shaft in a conventionaltransmission. Formed integral with the main shaft lil' is a gear inconstant mesh'with a 'gear 2i on the counter shaft and the latterfurther has gears 22' and 23' of diflerent size, as shown, theseconstantly meshing with gears 2t tors 34,

and 15', also of diirerent size, as shown, provided with relativelytelescoping sleeves 26' and 21' journaled on a stationary ball bearing I21a in the partition l9.

The shaft I0 and the sleeves 26' and 21' are provided withlongitudinally spaced external splines 30', 3| and 32' respectively onwhich are splined three longitudinally spaced oval ro- 35' and 36',these being the normally driving rotors of fluid clutches having acommon normally driven member comprising a thick walled annulus or shell38 formed integral with the shaft 42 and connected to the body portionthereof by an annular web 40'. The casing or shell is made long enoughto surround all of the rotors and is spaced from them by the spaces 4|as shown in Fig. 8.

The driving connection between the shell 38' and the rotors 34, 35' and36 is effected by a plurality of sets of vanes 42', 43' and 44 radiallyslidable in slots in the shell 38' capped by the parts 38a and thesevanes are adapted to project into the spaces 4i and abut on the outersurfaces of the eccentrically shapedrotors 34', 35' and 36'. The sets ofvanes and the rotors corresponding thereto are relatively isolated bysealing partitions including annular portions 45' integral with theshell 38 and dished plates 46' disposed as shown, and the otherwise openend of the shell is closed by an end plate 37' sealing the shell and thedriving plates therewithin from the interior of the transmission case M.

When one or another of the sets of vanes 42', 63' and 44' are pressedinwardly, towards the rotors, by compression springs 49', the liquid orother fluid in the spaces iii between the shell and that rotor whichcorresponds with the projected vanes, creates a fluid engagement betweenthe rotor and the shell, and serves to transmit rotary motion from thedriving part on which it is splined, namely, the shaft I 0' or thesleeves 26' and 21' to the shell.

It is obvious that some means must be provided to select which of theset of vanes will be projected inwardly, in order to permit selection ofthe driving means for the shell 38. This means is composed of a shiftercollar which is rigidly mounted on selector rods to be described andwhich is connected by a yoke 6i to the slidable shift rail l2, actuatedby the shift lever or other operator controlled means as describedabove. To the shifter 60' and projecting forwardly therefrom are aplurality of selectors 64' spaced peripherally at equal distance aboutthe alined axes of the shafts l0 and 42. These selectors pass throughthe thick wall of the shell- 38' and-the end plate 41 and are slidablealong with the grooved collar 60 in a direction parallel to the axes ofthe shafts l0 and 42. On those edges of the selectors which are in faceto face engagement with the shell grooves and the faces of the vanes42', 43' and 44' are three annular rows of V-shaped notches 6 5', anyannular row of which, at any one time as desired, is adapted to registerwith one of three annular rows of V-shaped lugs 66' formed on the vanes42, 43' and 44. When the notch 65' is registered witha lug 66 on a vanethe compression springs 49' will project the vane radially inwardly intothe fluid filled space 4| until the vane is engaged by a rotor. At othertimes the vanes are held outwardly, due to the lugs 66' resting on theouter surfaces of the selectors, and no driving relation is established.

wardly'by an arm 94' It will be seen that the notches I and the vanelugs I! are spaced so that one, and only one. if any, annular row ofnotches BI on the selectors will be in line with an annular row of vanelugs at any one time. Because 01- this a driving connection between theshell 38 and one of the rotors at any one time may be eifected, theother rotors being non-operable to transmit torque to the shell becauseof the fact that their vanes are held out by the lugs 66' engaging onthe upper surfaces of the selectors 64'. It will also be seen that theselectors not only permit the vanes to move inwardly but also operate towithdraw the vanes when properly moved, the notches being V-shaped forthis purpose.

In order that the spaces 4i between the rotors and the shell 38' be atall times filled to capacity with driving liquid or other fluid a rotarypump is provided which includes a rotor 10' secured to the shaft i0 andhaving sliding vanes H for pumping fluid from the eccentrically shapedchamber 72' through a bore 13' and a radial passage 14' into an axialbore 15' formed in the shaft ill, the latter having radial passages 16'for connecting the bore 15' with the vided with three sets of radialoutlets 1'! passing through the rotors into the spaces 4i and serving toconnect the interior of the pump chamber 12' with the spaces ll. Thepump is designed to operate and to supply fluid to the spaces 4| at aconstant passage 14'. 5 The bore at its end near the rotors is pro-' andlow pressure and in order to prevent a high pressure being builtQ thepressure in the pump and to permit escape of excess fluid in capacityvolume.

The transmission includes means for completely disconnecting thepropeller shaft from the shaft in in order to render all three of theabove described torque transmission connections inoperative. This isaccomplished by means which permits the escape of the fluid from thespaces 4| between the rotors and the shell, the said means including agroup of longitudinally slidable parallelly disposed plungers 88' havingannular grooves 89' adapted to register with alined ports 90' and 9| andwhen registered to open the interior of the shell to the interior oi thetransmission casing through the ports 90', II and grooves 89'. Theplungers 88' are connected to a collar 93' and the collar may be movedfor- 95' and adapted to be rotated on a cross shaft 96' by a link 9'!connected to the yoke 94' and a rocker yoke I02 on a clutch actuatingshaft ii and through parts partially shown but not referenced, to themeans for actuating the master clutch. Inasmuch as the master clutchforms no part of the invention it has not been shown here.

The operation of the transmission parts is as follows; when the masterclutch actuating means is moved to a position which would causedisengagement of the master clutch, the yoke II! is one end of the pumpis 19' held against the I chamber by a comyoked to the collar at againstthe influence of the spring 80' to relieve 5 rocked in acounter-clockwise direction anda the collar 88 and advance oftheplungers t8 and escape of the fluid from the shell. when the masterclutch yoke me' ismoved to a position which would cause engagement ofthe master clutch the plungers 88' are retracted to stop free escape ofthe fluid from the shell and a driving connection between the selectiverotor andthe shell 83 will once more be established.

From the foregoing it becomes apparent that when the clutch actuatingshaft Si is rotated it causes the transmission to be rendered neutraland that lengthwise movement of the shifting rail i2 causes a difierentset of torque transmitting parts to be rendered operable.

At some little distance from the stub shaft l1, and also projecting fromthe transmission casing, is a tubular shaft 2%, the latter serving as anaxle for a plurality of shifting arms 25, 25 and El, the number of thesecorresponding to the number of forwardly driving selections possible inthe transmission, three only being shown in the particular embodimentillustrated, though it will be understood that any other number mightwell be used. The shifting arms are formed at their ends with angularyokes which are adapted to engage the rollers it on the ends of therocker arm i8 to move the latter and thereby to move the shifting rail,it being observed that the rocker arm I8 is wide enough to encompass allof the yokes on the ends of the shifting arms, although of course onlyone of these shifting arms is brought into engagement with the rockerarm at any one time. The angle at which the yokes 25a, 28a, and 21aextend relative to their respective arms is different in each case sothat engagement of any one yoke with the rocker arm it causes the latterto rock to a position different than the position to which ,it would berocked by engagement of either of the other two yokes.

Projecting through and supported in the tubular'shaft 2d and thetransmission casing, as shown in Figure 2, is a second shaft 28 which ismounted to be slidable on its own axis. On the nearer end of the shaft28 (Figure 1) is journaled a selector and shifter lever 29, the latterbeing L-shaped, when viewed in elevation and ogee shaped when viewed inplan. The selector and shifter lever, in its lowermost position restsupon a fixed stud 3t and on its upper surface bears a ing '8! which maybe brought into engagement with any one of a number of lugs 32 on theundersides of the shifting arms 25, 26 and 27.

The selector and shifter lever 29 has two directions of movement, bothfor different reasons. The lever 29 along with the shaft 28 may be-'moved horizontally, by means operatively connected to the propellershaft, to positions under one or another of the shifting arms, theamount of horizontal movement and therefore its position with respect tothese arms being automatically determined and controlled by the speed ofthe propeller shaft in a manner to be described. The lever '29 may bemoved upwardly non-automatically, by personally controlled means tocause one or another of the shifting arms to engage the rocker arm andthereby to move the shifting rail it.

The horizontal movement of lever 29 will control the selection, that isto say, will determine which of the shifting arms will be moved andwhich of the elements in the transmission will be, selected. Thevertical movement of the lever tn-controls the fact of shifting, that isto say,

25a, 28a. and 2111' when moved upwardly the lever 29 will cause thepre-selected shift to be made. The means for selecting, that is to say,for moving selector 29 horizontally and positioning it under one oranother of the shifting arms and for correlating such selection with thespeed of the propeller shaft so as to form an automatic selectingmechanism, includes the elongated shaft 28 upon which the lever 29 issupported. This shaft is slidable in the casing to a limited extent andhas rack teeth 36 "at its far end (Fig. 2). meshing with a pinion gear31 formed on the end of a control shaft 38, the latter having a secondpinion 39 meshing with rack teeth formed on a slidable sleeve 50, thelatter being connected to the end of a control actuator shaft M, whoseaxial sliding movement is determined by the speed of the propeller shaft62.

The propeller shaft is provided with a gear 63 meshing with a pinion Mfixed to a non-slidable sleeve t5 journalling and rotating on the shaftll. To one end of the sleeve 65 are pivotally connected the weightedarms d6 of a governor, these arms in turn being pivotally connected at 1to links 68, which in turn are pivotally connected at 69 to a collar 50rotatable on the shaft M, the collar being restrained against slidingmovement by fixed collars ii on shaft tl. A spring 52 tends to move theshaft to the left, counteracting that influence of the arms 66 whichtends to move shaft M to the right.

As the propeller shaft rotates it causes rotation of the weighted arms56 and the position assumed by these varies with the speed of thepropeller shaft. Asthe governor arms move away from the shaft 6| theycause the latter to slide in its bearings until the compression spring55, telescoped between the shaft 4| and the sleeve 50, iscompressedsuiiiciently to permit washers 56 to engage shoulders within the sleeve'30, whereupon the sleeve will move, due to movement of the shaft 6 lagainst the restraining influence of the spring pressed check plunger51, adapted to seat in one or anotherpf the spaced notches 58 of thesleeve. This construction is provided so that the sleeve will not movegradually in response to variations in speed of the propeller shaft 42,but will move with a snap" action, distances equal to the spacing of thenotches 58. The movement of sleeve dd acting through the control shaft38 and shaft 28, will cause snap" movement of lever 29 under theshifting arms 25, 26 and 21. The restraining plunger 51 and the notches58 are spaced to correspond to the spacing of the shifting arms andinsure the lever 29 being moved into complete alignment with one oranother of the shifting arms, not under two of them at one time.

The parts described immediately above constitute means for automaticallydetermining selection and automatically correlating selection to thespeed of the propeller shaft. Other parts constitute means for actuatingthe shifting part or rail and for non-automatically shiftingautomatically preselected elements in the transmission. These include ashort extension 60 on a lever 60a mounted on a shaft 6 l the extensionbeing connected by a link 62 to an arm 63 journalled on a stationaryshaft 66 mounted on and projecting from the transmission casing. The hubof arm fills provided with dog tooth clutch teeth 65, Fig. 4, meshingwith cooperating teeth in the hub 66 of a double lever N, the latterbeing journaled on shaft 86 and having an elongated roller 68 adapted toengage the under surface of selector 4 means lever 20. A stud 88fixed-to the casing forms a stop and a support for the double lever 61.

It will be seen that when the operator permits lever 80a to be movedupwardly by spring 10, lever "5 61 will be moved in a manner to movelever 29 against one or another of the automatically preselected shifterarms and thereby to move the shifting rail. In order to disconnect theshift mechanism 1 when it is desired to accomplish selection andshifting, non-automatically, thru rod I3, there are provided meansincluding a control plunger 80 positioned on the dashboard 8| of thevehicle and mounted in a bushing 82 to slide therein, in ree sponse tothe manipulation of the operator. The plunger 80 is connected by aBowden wire or other flexible force transmitting element 83 to an arm 84Journaled on a stationary pin 85 mounted on the transmission casing. Theshaft of the arm 8415 30 provided with a pinion gear 86 meshing withannular rack teeth 81 formed on the hub 88 of the double lever 81. Itwill be seen that when the plunger "is pulled out, the arm 84 is rotatedto cause the lever 51 to move away from the arm 53, thus causingdisengagement of the dog tooth clutch is andthus disconnecting theshifting mechanism from the lever 60a. So. disconnected the shiftingmechanism is not actuatable by the lever a, and selection andshifting'must be accompiished manually. through rod I 3, if at all. Whenthe plunger 80 is returned to its innermost position, by being pushed inby the operator, the clutch engagement at 65 will be established oncemore and the automatic selecting and non-automatic shifting mechanismwill once more be in connection with the lever 50a.

Another form of means for correlating the seiection to the speed of thepropeller shaft, and operating by fluid pressure rather than by cen- (0tri fugal or governor action, is disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6. The meansof these figures includes parts like those of the means disclosed inFigures 1 to 3, namely shaft I38, pinion I39, sleeve I40, actuator shaftI, and restraining plunger I57. Further,

-55 the means of Figs. 5 or 6 is used in conjunction 'with a propellershaft I 42 having a gear I43 meshing with a pinion I44 fixed to a secondshaft I45, the latter being Journaled in bearings I68 formed in thecasing m. The actuator shaft in is pro- 50 gided with rack teeth Imeshing with a pinion I'll formed on a stub shaft I'I2, this pinionfurther being meshed with the rack teeth I13 of a slidable shaft I80whose vertical movement is correlated to the speed of the propellershaft and is 55 translated into corresponding horizontal movement in theactuator shaft MI. The slidable shaft I80 above mentioned has a taperedhead I8I j seated in the tapered chamber I82 of a valve body I88, therebeing a spring I84 for urging the shaft down into position to close theport I85. A cap I88-on body I83 has ports I81 for reasons givenhereafter.

The port I85 opens into a rotor chamber I89 connected tothe inside ofthe casing I I4 through 55 a port "9a and in which is eccentricallydisposed a cylindrical rotor I 90, the latter being fixed to the end ofthe rotating shaft I45 to rotate therewith. The rotor I90 is providedwith sliding vanes "I which, as the rotor rotates, cause transfer of 7lubricant from the lower interior of the casing, through ports I881: andI85, to the valve chamber I82, the lubricantthen raising the valve shaftI80 and escaping around the head I8I of the same and out through theports Ill, back into the up- 78 perpartofthecasing II4.

.It will be seen that the degree of "lift of'sha-ft I80 and consequentlythe degree of axial movement of actuator control rod I4I depends uponthe speed of the rotor I80, for, as the speed of the latter increasesdue to an increase in the pro -5 peller speed, the volume of oil whichpasses the head I8I will increase. In this fashion, the position of theactuator control shaft HI and the position of the selector lever 29 willbe correlated to the propeller shaft speed. 10

It will also be seen that the double acting compression spring 55 actsto provide a lag or retarding action to the automatic shifting means, ondeceleration, as follows: The selector will move from a higher speedposition to a lower speed position, not as soon as the propeller shaftdecelerates to the predetermined shifting speed, but only after theshaft speed has'fallen somewhat below the predetermined speed.

For example, if the shifting speed, from "sec- 2Q 0nd" to "high" isfixed at miles per hour, the

selector will move from second. to high at 29 miles per hour but willmove from "high" to second" on deceleration, at let us say ten miles perhour. This function is due to the fact that theshaft 4,I moves to theright from the posi; tion shown in Fig. 3 when the vehicle'speed isaccelerated, and when the increase in vehicle speed is great enough thegovernor moves the shaft 4| to the right to compress the spring .55 .9.and cause the washer 56 to engage the shoulder in the sleeve 40. Thesleeve is thus moved and the selection made. Assuming that this actiontakes place at a vehicle speed of twenty miles per hour it is obviousthat a movement of 5 the sleeve 40 to the left to select a lower gearratio would take place at a vehicle speed less than twenty miles perhour due to the fact that the speed of governor must be decreasedsufficiently to cause movement of the shaft 4| to the *0 left asillustrated in Fig. 3. When the shaft H is moved to the left until itswasher engagesa shoulder in the sleeve 40 further movement of the shaft4| will move the sleeveand make a selection of a lower gear. Therestraining ,95 plunger '51 holds the sleeve stationary during movementof the shaft 4I toward the left until such time as the washer on theshaft positively engages the sleeve.

Accordingly, the transmission will remain in high", longer ondeceleration, .than would be the case were such a device not provided,and undesirable and unnecessarily often shiftingof the transmissionparts from high to lower speeds, due to momentary slow-downs, as in .56heavy traflic conditions, will be avoided.

It will also be seen that the automatic selecting and shifting means ofthis application differs from any of those previously contemplated, inthat while selection is accomplished autpmati- 0,0 cally, and incorrelation to the speed of the ve'- hicle, the act of shiftingfrom onegrouping to another is under the complete control of the operator. Forthis reason, it .1 ssible for the operator todrive the vehicle with thetr'ansmis- .85 sion in the condition he desires even though the speed ofthe vehicle may automatically cause'a changed condition'of the selector.

An important feature of the invention lies in the association of lever awith other parts of :79 the vehicle, and these associations will now bedescribed:

(1) The shaft '8I upon which lever 00a is mounted, may be keyed to lever80:: so as to rotate therewith, and it may form a clutch actu- 3,6

ation shaft for the master clutch of the vehicle, the pedal head oflever 60a in such a case being a master clutch pedal. The parts may beso designed that the pedal lever 60a, when depressed, 5 causes masterclutch disengagement, and when permitted to be returned by spring 19,cause i clutch reengagement. Under these circumstances, the act ofshifting is concurrent with the initial part of the act of permittingmaster it clutch reengagement. Shifting will not occur, until the masterclutch is disengaged and then permitted to reengage. The act of shiftingis not automatic, but is personally controlled; and is accomplished aspart of the act of permitlli ting clutch reengagement.

i (2) As illustrated in Fig. 1 the lever 60a may be actuated by a poweractuator. The power actuator is composed of a cylinder 290 having amovable plunger I99 therein having a con- 2 hector 202 with one endattached thereto and its other end attached to the lever 60a. Connestedinto one end of the cylinder 20!! is a pipe line 2081: whose other endis adapted to be connected to a source of suction such as the intake 35manifold of an automotive vehicle engine in the manner well known in theart and therefore not shown here. Integral with the cylinder 200 is avalve body 204 having a chamber 205 in which is a rotary valve 206, thelatter having relief 30 channels 201, 208 and 209. The channels 201 and209 are connected by a transverse bore 2N. 'lhe valve 208 is providedwith an external crank 2! I which is connected by a. rod 2I2 to a pedal29! which is normally held in the posi- 35 tion illustrated by a spring203.

. The cylinder 200 has a port 2l3 which opens into the valve chamber 205from one side of the piston its. A port did connects the chamber 205 tothe atmosphere, and a port H5 connects the w chamber 285 to the cylinder29!) on the other side of the piston use.

In operation, when suction is present in the line Edda and the valve 208is positioned as shown, air at atmospheric pressure enters one as end ofthe cylinder through ports 213 and 2M and due to therarified conditionin the other end of the cylinder the piston I99 moves to ause the pedal58a to move. when the pedal i is moved, by manual pressure thereon, the50 valve 205 will be rotated counterclockwise,

will be relievedbthe air bleeding. out through the port m, therelief291, the bore 210, the relief 2%, and port M5 to the low pressure side55 of the cylinder, thus permitting the spring ill to retract the clutchpedal 60a.

If, as will preferably be the case, lever 60a. is not only connected toan actuator, but is also connected to the master clutch ofthe vehicle,

then the act of shifting is made concurrent with the initial part of theact of clutch reengagement, whether the latter be effected through thehead of lever 60a. or through the controller Edi.

. Ember, the association between the transion actuation and the clutchactuation can be destroyed immediately, at any time, and without culty,through plunger 80, whereby transm mission actuation is not affected orcontrolled by clutch actuation or engine throttling.

Operation 'iihe operation of the automatic gear selecting 75 andnon-automatic shifting mechanism described whereupon the pressure behindthe plunger I99 I above, will now be described in connection witaschedule of vehicle operations.

First, assume the clutch to be actuated pedally through lever 60a;

(1) Initially the engine will be running, the 5 clutch will be engaged,the transmission elements will be in neutral, and the selector lever 29will be positioned under the low gear shifting arm; the plunger 80 will,or should be in to render the automatic shift connections operable. 1

(2) To start the vehicle, the lever 60a is pushed inwardly to disengagethe clutch and the plunger 80 will be pushed inwardly; the operator thenreleases lever 60a, and the clutch will start towards engaging position;at the same time, the 1 selector is will move up, this shifting theele-- ments to low; the operator simultaneously steps on the throttlepedal and the vehicle moves off, in low gear;

(3) When the vehicle attains its low gear speed, the operator takes hisfoot off the throttle pedal, and simultaneously depresses the lever 60ato disengage the clutch; at this time, the selector lever 29 will drop,and will then move horizontally to a position under the second shiftingarm, by the propeller shaft control mechanism; the operator thenreleases lever 60a, to shift the elements to second and to engage theclutch; simultaneously, he depresses the throttle-pedal, and the vehiclemoves off in second speed;

' (4) The same cycle of movements takes place in shifting from second tohigh gear.

In the event the clutch is actuated by a power mechanism, such as wouldnormally be used, the operation will be as follows:

(1) Initially, the engine will be running, and. due to engine suction,the clutch will be disengaged; the torque transmitting elements will bein "neutral" and the selector 29 will be in low position; the plunger80, if retracted, will be ad- 40 vanced;

, j (2) To start the vehicle, the controller dill and the throttle pedalare depressed, whereupon the elements will be shifted in low; fuel willbe fed to the engine, and the clutch will become engaged; the vehiclewill move off in low speed.

(3) At a satisfactory low speed, the operator releases the manipulatorand throttle pedal, whereupon the clutch will become disengaged, and thefuel flow will be reduced, the selector will drop and move horizontallyto second" position; when the operator steps on the manipulator andthrottle pedal, the elements will be shifted to second, the engine willbe speeded up and the clutch will become engaged; the vehicle moves oflin "second.

(4) The cycle is repeated, to shift from second to high.

It will be noted, at this time, that change-over from automaticselection to manual selection, and vice versa, may be effected instantlyand easily, and at any speed of the vehicle, all without any attendantdifficulties.

Now having described the inventions, together with preferred embodimentsthereof, it will be understood that the scope of the same will bedetermined, not by the foregoing detailed description, but by the claimswhich follow:

1. In an automotive vehicle, a clutch actuator,

a driving part whose-speed corresponds to that of the vehicle, a driveshaft, a plurality of torque transferring elements, groupings of whichmay be selected for use in connecting the driving part to the driveshaft, means responsive to the speed Oi the driving part for selecting agrouping of 76 actuator, a driving part whose speed corresponds to thatof the vehicle, and a plurality of torque l transferring elements,groupings of which may be selected, means operatively connected to theclutch actuator, and to the driving part by a speed responsive device,for selecting groupings of the torque transferring elements, and forshifting the same into'cooperative relation, said means beingautomatically operable to select a grouping,

on change of speed of the driving part, when the clutch actuator is inclutch disengaged position,

and being automatically operable to' shift the grouping into cooperativerelation upon initial movement of the actuator towards clutch engagedposition.

3. In an automotive vehicle having a clutch actuator, a driving partwhose speed corresponds to that of the vehicle, and a plurality oftorque transferring elements, groupings of which may be selected, meansoperatively connected to the clutch actuator, and to the driving part bya speed responsive device, for selecting groupings of the 'torquetransferring elements, and for shifting the same into cooperativerelation, said means being automatically operable to select a grouping,on change of speed of the driving part, when the .clutch actuator is inclutch disengaged position,

'and being automatically operable to shift the grouping into cooperativerelation upon initial movement of the actuator towards clutch engagedposition, there being means controllable by the operator for causingmovement of the actuator to 40 the latter position, whereby the operatorcan time the shifting action of the shifting means.

- 4. In an automotive vehicle having a clutch actuator, a driving partwhose speed corresponds to that of the vehicle, and a plurality oftorque transferring elements, groupings of which may be selected, meansoperatively connected to the clutch actuator, and to the driving part ofa speed responsive device, for selecting groupings of the torquetransferring elements, and for shifting the same into cooperativerelation, said means being automatically operable to select a grouping,on change of speed of the driving part, when the clutch actuator is inclutch disengaged position, and being automatically operable to shiftthe grouping into cooperative relation upon initial movement of theactuator towards clutch engaged position, there being means controllableby the operator for causing movement of the actuator to the latterposition, whereby the operator can time the shifting action of theshifting means, there also being means easily operable by and readilyaccessible to the operator, while he is driving the vehicle, forrendering said shifting means inoperable.

5. In combination with a plurality of torque transferring elements,selection and shifting of which is accomplished through a rocker armpivotally. mounted between its ends, a plurality of pivotally mountedshifter arms having yoke-like ends for engaging the ends of the rockerarm, the latter being of a width greater than that of all the arm endscombined, a pivotally mounted selector lever movable across but clear ofall of the arms and adapted to be moved towards and into engagement withany one of them, means for moving said lever across the arms and forinsuring its registry with one and only one of them, at any one time,and means for moving said lever into engagement with the arm registeredtherewith, thereby to move the latter against and to i actuate therocker arm.

6. In combination with a plurality of torque transferring elements,selection and shifting of which is accomplished through a rocker armpivotally mounted between its ends, a plurality of 10 pivotally mountedshifter arms having yoke-like ends for engaging the ends of the rockerarm, the latter being of a width greater than that of all the arm endscombined, a pivotally mounted selector lever movable across but clear ofall of the 15 arms and adapted to be moved towards and into engagementwith any oneof them, means for moving said lever across the arms and forinsuring its registry with one and only one of them. at any one time,and means for moving said lever 20 into engagement with the armregistered therewith, thereby to move the latter against and to actuatethe rocker arm, the shifter arms being arranged differently from oneanother, with respect to the rocker arm, so that movements imparted 25thereto by them will vary, depending upon which shifter arm is moved.

7. In combination with a plurality of torque transferring elements,selection and shifting of which is accomplished through a rocker armpiv- 30 otally mounted between its ends, a plurality of pivotallymounted shifter arms having yoke-like ends for engaging the ends of therocker arm, the latter being of a width greater than that of all the armends combined, a pivotally mounted selector lever movable across butclear. of all of the arms and adapted to be moved towards and intoengagement with any one of them, means for moving said lever acrossthearms and for insuring its registry with one and only one of them,

at any one time, and means for moving said lever into engagement withthe arm registered therewith, thereby to move the latter against and toactuate the rocker arm, the shifter arms being arranged differently fromone another, with respect to the rocker arm, so that movements impartedthereto by them will vary, depending upon which shifter arm is moved,the first mentioned means being automatically controlled by a speedresponsive device. 5o 8. In combination with a plurality of torquetransferring elements, selection and shifting of which is accomplishedthrough a rocker arm pivotally mounted between its ends, a plurality ofpivotally mounted shifter arms having yoke-like 55 ends for engagingtheends of the rocker arm,the latter being of a width greater than that ofall the arm ends combined, a pivotally mounted selector lever movableacross but clear oi all of the arms and adapted to be moved towards and00 into engagement with any one of them, means for moving said leveracross the arms and for insuring its registry with one and only one ofthem, at any one time, and means for moving said lever into engagementwith the arm regiso5 tered therewith, thereby to move 'the latteragainst and to actuate the rocker arm, the shifter arms being arrangeddifferently from one another, with respect to the rocker arm,'so thatmovements imparted thereto by them will vary, depending upon 76 whichshifter arm is moved, the second mentioned means being under personalcontrol.

9. In combination with a plurality of torque transferring elements,selection and shifting of which is accomplished through a rocker armpiv- 75 otally mounted between its ends, a plurality of pivotallymounted shifter arms having yoke-like ends for engaging the ends of therocker arm. the latter being of a width greater than that of. all thearm ends combined, a pivotally mounted selector lever movable across butclear of all of the arms and adapted to be moved towards and intoengagement with any one of them, means for moving said lever across thearms and for insuring its registry with one and only one of them, at anyone time, and means for moving said lever into engagement with the armregistered-therewith, thereby to move the latter against and to actuatethe rocker arm, the shifter arms being arranged diii'erently from oneanother, with respect to the rocker arm, so that movements impartedthereto by them will vary, depending upon which shifter arm is moved,the first mentioned means being automatically controlled by a speedresponsive device, the second mentioned means being under personalcontrol.

10. In an automotive vehicle, a change speed transmission adapted toconnect a drive shaft to a driven shaft, a plurality of change speedmembers adapted by movemeht thereof to create different driveconnections in said transmission, a movable member, a selector adaptedto connect said movable member to any of said change speed membersindividually, and speed sensitive means operated by said driven shaftfor positioning said selector relative to said change speed members.

11. In an automotive vehicle having a clutch pedal and a change speedtransmission adapted to connect a drive shaft to a driven shaft, aplurality of change speed members adapted by movement thereof to createdifferent drive connections in said transmission, a movable member,aselector adapted to connect said movable member to any of said changespeed members individually, said movable member being normally spacedfrom said selector whereby apredetermined amount of travel is necessaryto move said movable member into engagement with said selector and speedsensitive means operated by said driven shaft for positioning saidselector relative to said change speed members.

12. In an automotive vehicle having a driven shaft whose speedcorresponds to that of the vehicle and a change speed transmissionadapted to connect a drive shaft to said drive shaft, a plurality ofchange speed members a apted by movements thereof to create differentdrive connections in said transmission, a movable member, a selectoradapted to connect said movable member to any of said change speedmembers individually, speed sensitive means for moving said selectorfrom a position adjacent one of said change speed members to a positionadjacent another change speed member as a result of acceleration ordeceleration of said driven member, and means for deferring saidmovement of said selector for a defined period ofacceleration ordeceleration.

13. In an automotive vehicle having a driven shaft whose speedcorresponds to that of the vehicle and a change speed transmissionadapted to connect a drive shaft to said driven shaft, a plurality ofchange speed members adapted by movement thereof to create differentdrive connections in said transmission, a movable member, a selectoradapted to connect said movable member to any of said 'change speedmembers individually, speed sensitive means for moving said selectorfrom a position adjacent one of said change speed members to a positionadjacent another change speed member as a result of acceleration ordeceleration of said driven member, and means for deferring movement ofsaid selector for a defined period during acceleration of said drivenshaft and for a greater period during deceleration. I 1

14. In an automotive vehicle, a change speed I transmission, a selectorfor selecting different driving connections in said transmission, fluidpressure means for creating a selected connection, a manual control forsaid fluid pressure means, speed sensitive means responsive to the speedof the vehicle for moving said selector to different selectivepositions, and means for deferring movement of said selector for apredetermined period during acceleration and deceleration of saidvehicle.-

15. In an automotive vehicle, a change speed transmission, a selectorfor selecting difierent driving connections in said transmission, fluidpressure means for creating a selected condition, a manual control forsaid fluid pressure means, speed sensitive means responsive to the speedof the vehicle for moving said selector to diflerent selectivepositions, and means for deferring movement of said selector for apredetermined period during acceleration and for a greater period duringdeceleration.

16. In an automotive vehicle having a clutch pedal, an acceleratorpedal, and a change speed transmission,.a plurality of change speedmembers, a selector for connecting said clutch pedal to difierent changespeed members to create diflerent driving connections in saidtransmission, speed sensitive means adapted to move said selector toconnection with different change speed members, fluid pressure means foractuating said clutch pedal, and a control for said fluid pressure meansconnected to and operated by said accelerator pedal.

TRACY BROOKS TYLER.

